Seven Harrogate district charities receive National Lottery grants worth £450,000

Seven voluntary organisations in the Harrogate district have received National Lottery cash injections totalling nearly £450,000.

They are among 300 organisations in Yorkshire and Humberside to receive a share of more than £13 million awarded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Dementia Forward, based in Burton Leonard, was awarded almost £240,000, which was the largest donation made to a North Yorkshire charity.

The grant will provide three-year funding for its time out together group for people aged 35 to 65 with young onset dementia.

The group enables younger people with this rare form of dementia, who receive little support, to socialise and go on day trips.

The time out together members at Dementia Forward.

Debby Lennox, community liaison manager at Dementia Forward, said:

“The real testament to the success of this project and the need for it to continue is the difference that it is making to the people we support and their families – it truly is life changing.”

The other local groups rewarded were:

Ripon Community Link — £170,000

Ripon Community Link supports adults and young people with learning disabilities.

The charity offers members the chance to work in a café or shop based at Ripon Walled Gardens, and aims to boost self-confidence and employability skills.

The funding will be used to employ more staff to support members working and encourage them to serve customers.

Emerging Voices — £5,780

Emerging Voices is a Harrogate-based project which uses music to improve mental health.

Members can receive mentoring from musicians and teachers. They are offered support with songwriting, singing and playing instruments.

It will use the donation to restart a wellbeing choir and mentoring services.

It hopes the choir will bring people together and reduce isolation.

St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Harrogate — £10,000

 St Joseph’s Catholic Church, on Skipton Road, will use its award to contribute towards the replacement of a boiler in the church hall.

The hall is used by groups to host community events and private functions.

Starbeck Community Library — £6,000

 Starbeck Community Library, located on the High Street, will use the donation to improve the children’s reading area.

It hopes a new and improved reading area will encourage families to stay at the library for longer and, in turn, improve children’s development.

Autism Angels — £10,000

 Summerbridge-based charity Autism Angels offers horse riding sessions to children with autism.

It also offers support to parents, siblings and carers.

The grant will be used to fund additional support sessions for parents and carers. It hopes to start a father’s support group and a parenting programme.

The charity also hopes the funding will reduce isolation and increase awareness and knowledge.

The Robinson Library — £7,500

The Robinson Library in Timble is used as a village hall to house community events, as well as health and wellbeing activities.

The money will be used to refurbish the kitchen.

Joe Dobson, head of funding for Yorkshire and Humberside at the National Lottery Community Fund, said:

“We’re delighted that local groups are using our funding to strengthen communities and improve lives in our region.

“Their passion, creativity and commitment are making a real difference to local people’s lives, and this deserves recognition.”

The fund aims to distribute at least £4 billion by 2030 to support community activities, inclusivity and improve the environment.

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Christmas tree disposal service provides vital funding for Ripon Walled Garden

With the time to take down Christmas decorations fast approaching, people living in the Ripon area are being urged to support a local charity and help the environment.

Once again, Ripon Walled Garden, operated by the Ripon Community Link charity, is running its popular and environmentally friendly tree collection and disposal scheme to raise funds to support the delivery and development of the services it provides for adults with learning disabilities.

The charity’s chief executive Victoria Ashley, said:

“Our Christmas fundraising campaigns are vital to the charity, every penny raised through our tree sales and tree collection service directly benefits local people with learning disabilities by helping to pay for staff costs and gas and electricity bills throughout the year to provide services, five days a week to over 55 individuals living with a learning disability.

“The monies raised from suggested donations for the tree collection and recycling service has never been more needed as we all feel the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

Ms Ashley, added:

“We are extremely proud to partner with Lightwater Quarries and Rudding Park Hotel who are both supporting the Tree Collection Campaign.

“In addition to volunteering to help us collect the Christmas Trees, Lightwater quarries over the last 3 years helped us purchase of a new minibus; supplied the concrete foundations for a new green house and a much needed toilet block, foundations and fundraising for a new classroom building as well as transform the look and feel of the charities main retail area, all of which ultimately help to provide much needed ongoing funds.

“Rudding Park has provided support in so many ways, on site, with events, teams helping us manage our woodland, providing golf sessions for our service users,  and we are especially grateful for their donation of an overnight stay at Rudding Park as our Christmas Raffle prize which has helped us raise £2,430 this Christmas.“

Carolyn Sands, chair of the charity, pointed out:

“Ripon Walled Garden provides day care and learning opportunities for so many individuals and respite for their families.”

People living within a five mile radius of Ripon Walled Garden’s HG4 3HN postcode can book the service up until 5pm on Wednesday (January 4) via the Ripon Community Link website: www.riponcommunitylink.org or by calling 01765 609229.

The suggested donation is £7 for a tree up to 10 foot in height and £10 for a tree of 10 foot and above.

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Turn your autumn fruit into juice at Ripon Walled Garden

People are being invited to turn their pears and apples into juice while supporting a Ripon charity.

The annual Apple Day event takes place at Ripon Walled Garden on October 9.

Ripon Community Link, a charity that helps young people and adults with learning disabilities, is staging the event.

There will also be craft stalls, food and drink, children’s activities and an appearance by local singer Ian Hepburn.

The event derives its name from the day’s main activity — apple pressing.

Sarah Johnson, fundraising manager for Ripon Community Link, said:

“The team from Old Sleningford Farm, long standing supporters of the charity, bring their apple pressing equipment and help visitors press their own apple and pear crops into juice.

“It’s a great way to use up any excess fruit and prevent it from going to waste and a really interesting and fun process to do, the whole family can get involved.”

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Ms Johnson added that Apple Day, which didn’t take place last year due to covid, was one of Ripon Community Link’s key fundraising events.

The Ripon-based charity works across two sites: Ripon Walled Garden and St Wilfrid’s Bungalow.

Apple Day is free although the charity suggests a £2 donation per person or £5 per family. For more information call 01765609229 or click here.

£22,000 fundraising campaign launched for Ripon Walled Garden

The charity that runs Ripon Walled Garden has launched a £22,000 fundraising campaign to buy new facilities for the disabled people it helps.

Ripon Community Link, which provides day support services for people with learning difficulties, operates from two sites in the city area — St Wilfrid’s Bungalow and Ripon Walled Garden.

Many of the people it helps work at the walled garden. The fundraising campaign will help to finish and furnish a new building on the site which they will use.

The building, which includes four classrooms, a reception and toilets, has already been paid for by grants and donations.

Victoria Ashley, Ripon Community Link chief executive, said:

“The new building is the next phase of our improvements for the walled garden to benefit members, customers, staff and volunteers.

“The opening of the toilet block was a major step for us, and now we are setting our sights on this new building, specifically aimed at benefitting our members. Our aim is to have this new facility fully opened in autumn”

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A charity gold day at Rudding Park on August 19 is among the events planned to support the fundraising campaign.

To donate, click here.